Venetian Architectural Masterpiece In World's Fair St. Louis

Asking Price: $1,700,000 USD

The Property is situated on the Private Street "Washington Terrace", which belongs to a designated National Historical District of the Central West End of St. Louis City.

Washington Terrace is one of the four most resplendent of the Residential Private Places (along with nearby Portland Place, Westmoreland Place, and Kingsbury Place) that survive intact from the St. Louis heyday of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when the city was one of the nation's most populous and most progressive, dominating a large region of mid-America.

Washington Terrace was laid out by Julius Pittman in 1892. It includes some 40 mansions or town houses of similar size and of varying styles -- Tudor Revival, Richardsonian Romanesque, Italian Renaissance, Colonial Revival, Victorian Revival, French Eclectic -- generally on half-acre lots.

The original homeowners on Washington Terrace were among St. Louis' most prominent citizens, including railroad tycoons, industrial magnates, bank presidents, and mercantile giants. Among them were Joseph Moon, founder of the Moon Car Company, Julius Bear of the Stix-Bear-Fuller Department Store (antecedent of Dillards), and oil millionaire William Cullen McBride. Current homeowners tend to be executives, doctors, lawyers, professors, and public office-holders.

The home for sale at 23 Washington Terrace, built on the plans of renowned architect W. Albert Swazy in 1903, is known as the Reid Northrup House, named for its first owner, a nephew of railroad baron Jay Gould who moved to St. Louis to manage one of the Gould enterprises. The house being ready in good time for the epochal St. Louis World's Fair of 1904, Northrup (who was seeking a prestigious federal appointment) was able to entertain President Theodore Roosevelt in his home when he visited and presided over the Fair.

The monumental Gate House at the eastern entry of Washington Terrace is a St. Louis icon commonly seen in picture postcards of the city. Built by architect George R. Mann in 1894, this French Norman Clock Tower was built in 1894 according to the design of Harvey Ellis, who had earlier designed St. Louis City Hall in the style of the Hotel du Ville in Paris. The Terrace is permanently gated at its west end, and monitored by a police substation in the Clock Tower.

Washington Terrace is a short walk from 1300-acre Forest Park, 50% larger than Central Park in New York City and site of the St. Louis World's Fair of 1904. At that time St. Louis was at the pinnacle of its national influence, dominating a large region of mid-America. Forest Park is bounded on the east by the Danforth Campus of Washington University and on the west by its Medical Campus and the Barnes-Jewish Hospital Complex.

The Property offered for sale consists of the 3-story Mansion of 9600 ., plus a large 2-story Carriage House. The first floor of the Carriage House contains a garage having space for three cars (with storage shelves/cabinets on three sides), and a Studio Apartment. The second floor is a two-bedroom 1200+ . apartment. The total area measure of the two buildings exceeds 11,000 ., excluding the garage.

The Reid Northrup Mansion itself, with southern exposure, is an elegant adaptation of the style of Venetian Palazzos on the Grand Canal to a dry-land thoroughfare. Its design includes specific elements from some of the finest examples of Venetian palace architecture.

* Specifically: the upper front facade of the Mansion is modeled after the corresponding floor of Palazzo Pisani Moretta. The front middle facade features a stained-glass inset displaying a peacock, the same peacock motif being repeated in some fixtures in the home's interior. In another tribute to Venetian style, the detailed masonry projection decorating the top of the front facade (which is extended on east and west sides of the house) partially hides the windows of the third floor while providing channels for drainage of rain water.

The property has been faithfully and expensively renovated in several stages over the last 30 years, and is ready for immediate occupancy.

Dedicated installation of modern insulation materials and double-glass windows throughout both buildings has achieved impressive economy in heating and cooling expenses for such a spacious home.

The main house has an efficient Gas-Hot water heating system, supplemented by three separate Air Conditioning Systems for independent zoned cooling/heating.

Hardwood floors have been supplemented by elegant marble or ceramic tile throughout both the Main House and the Carriage House.

Plumbing in kitchens and bathrooms has been updated to top modern standards with fittings of highest quality.

THE LAYOUT OF THE REID-NORTHRUP HOUSE IS AS FOLLOWS:

The three main floors are all of the same horizontal dimensions, with respective ceiling heights 11', 10', and 9', upward from first to floor (notation: ' stands for Feet):

FIRST FLOOR --

A spacious Central Entry Hall gives access to four large rooms, all with intricate plastering, complex cove moulding, and original fine wood paneling in stained oak, cherry, and pine.

All four major rooms may be closed off with original massive stained-wood sliding doors.

These four rooms are:

17'x 20' Music Room or Parlor in the West Front of the house, with Baby Grand Piano, Elegant Fireplace, and Painted Ceiling (Playful Cherubs).

20'x 29' Solarium behind the Music Room in the West Rear of the House, with original tiled floor, giving expansive views to Carriage House and back garden.

20'x 22' Library in East Front with original cherry-paneled glass-enclosed bookshelves lining two sides and a wood-burning fireplace with hints of the peacock motif.

Access from Dining Hall to spacious Butler's pantry to its Rear, to Loggia at its East side, and to Library in Front, the latter through massive sliding doors.

A separate (30'x 30') Wing of the house behind the Butler's pantry contains an extra-large updated kitchen with all modern amenities; a Breakfast Nook; and a Storage Room (useful as a laundry room).

A Back Hall with rear exit features a Servants' Staircase leading to second and third floors, plus spacious closets, one containing an antique manually-operated elevator.

SECOND FLOOR --

The Lateral Hall of the second floor is reached from the Central Entry Hall of the first floor via an ornate Grand Staircase.

Ascent of the staircase gives a direct view of a row of three original stained-glass windows. These windows are placed about a meter behind three ordinary windows set in the upper facade of the house, in an arrangement designed to protect the leaded artistic windows from the intense direct sunlight of St. Louis summers.

Four large Bedrooms and a Master Bathroom radiate from the Lateral Hall of the second floor, which also gives access to the Servants' Stairway at the Center Rear of the floor.

The 18'x 29' Master Bedroom takes up the largest space, with much the same "footprint" as the Solarium below it, augmented by two distinctive bay windows: one facing north; the other, having curved windows, facing west.

Three smaller bedrooms, although also of generous size, are situated in the West Front, East Front, and East Rear of the floor, all featuring fireplaces of tasteful custom design.

The West Front Bedroom is equipped with a small bathroom with shower, which also adjoins the Master Bedroom.

The ornate Master Bathroom is located next to the East Rear Bedroom.

The East Front bedroom , presumably designed for the Lady of the House, has an expansive closet for Her wardrobe as well as a luxurious private Bathroom. (Curiously, this bathroom is joined to the West Front Bedroom through the not-so-secret passageway between the row of stained-glass windows and their counterparts in the upper facade of the building between the row of stained-glass windows and their counterparts in the upper facade of the building.)

The Lady's Bedroom also has access to a larger closet area shared with the East Rear Bedroom and to the Balcony above the Loggia.

The East Rear Bedroom is of size similar to the Lady's Bedroom but of more austere character.

THIRD FLOOR --

The third floor was originally designed for accommodation of the Northrup family's children (if any) and/or for the servants who were commonly part of such a household in that period. Reached by the Servants' Staircase, which terminates in a Lateral Hall, this floor's area is somewhat larger than that of the second floor (accounting for the space taken there by the Grand Staircase).

The Lateral Hall of the third floor gives access to eight rooms.

Two large bedrooms with large closets are situated on the West Front and East Front of the floor; between them are two smaller rooms for storage, one lined in cedar.

There is another large bedroom with large closet on the East Side of the Rear of the floor, with an adjacent Full Bath, luxuriously renovated.

The West side of the Rear of the floor contains two smaller bedrooms with closets.

The Attic of the house is accessible through a panel of the ceiling in an area next to the staircase.

BASEMENT --

The Basement is full-size, with an area corresponding to that of the first floor including the kitchen extension, and with more than ample ceiling height.

The Basement, reached by a stairway from the Back Hall, remains dry and provides for additional living and working space should that be needed. Currently it includes the following:

A large laundry room under the kitchen, a small bedroom with closet and adjacent toilet and shower, two very large rooms that could serve a variety of uses, an obsolete coal bin, an area dedicated to the boiler and furnace, and a small wine cellar.

CARRIAGE HOUSE APARTMENTS

The upstairs apartment of more than 1200 . features a very large L-shaped open common area with full Kitchen facilities, dining and entertainment space, plus two separate bedrooms, the larger of more than 200 ., a full bath, and ample storage under eaves.

With new window installation that provides for superior lighting, layout of the space makes the apartment ideal for use as a studio.

Downstairs apartment of about 400 . affords a comfortable study and sleeping area, along with corner kitchen and full bath.

The two apartments have separate electric forced-air heating/cooling systems.

Especially noteworthy features of the property include:

Copper roofs on both buildings, installed by the current owner and carefully maintained.

State-of-the-Art Security System in the main house, monitored around the clock.

Extensive external lighting activated during twilight and night.

Rear half of the property is enclosed by 8-10 concrete wall, with driveway gate entry.

For information on the attractions of living and working in St. Louis, do a google search on the topic: "26 Reasons to Appreciate the Hidden Gem of St. Louis" (Huffington Post).